Gear pump for lubricating systems



Sept. 19, 1939. A. J. LIPPOLD GEAR PUMP FOR LUBRICATING SYSTEMS Original Filed Feb. 23, 1935 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 19, 1939 UNITED STATES 2,173,653 PATENT OFFICE Original application February 23, 1935, Serial No. 7,742. Divided and this application July 11,

1936, Serial No. 90,099

21 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in gear pumps especially suited to use in lubricating systems.

The objects of this invention include the provision of a gear pump in which the liquid pumped thereby is supplied under pressure to the interior of one of the gears, which gear is floated within the pump casing under equalized pressure and which gear is supplied with discharge ports successively registrable with fluid distributing lines through which the fluid is dispensed successively under full pump pressure.

The invention also pertains to the provision of a type of gear pump immersed in the reservoir of the liquid to be pumped, the casing of the pump being cut away to provide full exposure of one of the pump gears to the liquid whereby no priming will be necessary. Another feature consists in the extension of a fluid conduit from the 20 reservoir to the suction side of the point of mesh 'of the pump gears to relieve vacuum which would otherwise be produced therein by my specific pump intake arrangement.

This is a companion to my application 7,742 of which this is a divisional application.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a portion of a machine in which my improved pump is installed and disclosing my pump housing in vertical 30 section and my main distributing gear broken away to disclose a portion thereof in vertical section.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view in end elevation of the pump, parts of the casing being broken away.

Likeparts are designated-by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

As shown in Fig. 1, my improved lubrication system is installed in a portion of a bottle filling mechanism in which I5 is a portion of the main frame in which a main drive shaft 41 is extended upon suitable bearings. My gear pump 80 is driven directly from the main drive shaft 41 and comprises a driving pinion BI and a driven gear 0 82 in a casing 80!. This gear is hollow and has hollow hub portions 82I and 822 which extend into tubular lateral extensions 823 and 824 of the casing 825. The pump casing is open at its bottom and immersed in, lubricant which is stored within a moat or wall 830 which prevents the foreign matter in the sump 85 from reaching the pump intake.

The sump 85 may be supplied with lubricant inserted through a filler pipe 83 which discharges into a box-like reservoir casting 84 through which the main drive shaft 41 passes. The surplus lubricant may overflow from the reservoir 84 and fall into the sump 85 where the level of lubricant is keptsufiiciently high so that the grit-free upper 60 surface portions thereof may pass over the marins of the normally submerged moat 830 and reachythe pump intake. The pump intake is reduced to its simplest form by forming the casing 8M open at the bottom to expose the lower portion of the gear 82.

The entire lower portion of the casing is below the level of liquid in the sump 85 and the intake is in fact below the top margins of the moat 830. This eliminates any question of priming and it will be apparent that any rotation of the pump gear 82 will carry lubricant between the gear teeth into the case.

Due to the fact that the withdrawal of the teeth of gear 8| from the interdental spaces of gear 82 immediately produces a vacuum at the point of withdrawal, I prefer to supply lubricant directly to this point through a passage having its entrance submerged in the sump. Such a passage can most conveniently be made at 90 within the gear casing on the suction side. The liquid pumped by the gear will flow upwardly through the passage 90 to the point where the withdrawal of the teeth of the pinion from those of the gear is producing vacuum.

Such lubricant as enters the interdental spaces of the gear pump 82 is expelled from such spaces by displacement when the teeth of pinion 8| are immersed therein. The lubricant so displaced is forced through pipe 820, to a filter or oil purifier 840, and thence back through pipe 850 into the hollow interior of the pump gear 82.

The gear 82 serves as a distributor for connecting the pressure pipe 850 consecutively with each of the various lines 88 to the several bearings of the machine. For this purpose the hollow distributing gear 82 is provided in its opposite side faces with aligned apertures 880. The ports 860 are not only oppositely disposed in the sense that they are located in opposite faces of the distributing gear 82 but, in addition, they are preferably coaxial and of the same size and area, so that the gear is not subjected to unbalanced pressures.

Many advantages of the oppositely disposed ports may, however; be secured without using the preferred alignment thereof.

The various output lines 86 communicate with the interior of the casing through holes therein, as shown in the drawing in positions such that the openings 860 in the distributing gear 82 of the pump register successively first with a distributing pipe on one side of the casing and then with a distributing pipe on the other side thereof.- The dimensions of the openings are preferably such that the distributing ports of the gear will overlap the leads to two consecutive distributing lines 86 as shown in Fig. 2, thus serving to equalize any excess of pressure which may have been occasioned in one of the lines due to the tightness of the bearing supplied therefrom. The overlap of the ports also gives assurance that no cordance with the usual practice, there would be an excess of flow of lubricant through those lines oflering least resistance to such flow. By delivering the entire power of the pump consecutively to the various distributing leads substantial uniformity of flow to all leads is assured, and sufficient pressure is available to displace minor stoppages, such as would become aggravated, rather than displaced, if the'lines were connected in parallel from an accumulator.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that by the device herein disclosed I have provided a pump which needs no priming and in which a gear floated within the pump casing so far as lateral pressures are concerned is used to effect distribution of the liquid pumped to deliver the entire output of the pump successively to various distribution lines. It will further be apparent that in addition to the special submerged inlet which I have provided at a point protected from heavy or floating foreign matter, I also relieve vacuum by a special duct leading. from the same point to the place where the gear teeth are unmeshing.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with intermeshing gears and a casing partially enclosing said gears and provided with an inlet, of a reservoir for the liquid to be pumped in which the inlet to the casing is immersed, said casing being ported at the point of mesh of said gears, and means providing a duct leading from a submerged point in said reservoir to the point of unmesh of said gears, one side of said casing being in bearing contact with the periphery of one of said gears from the said port substantially to the point of mesh.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a plurality of conduits, of a casing with which said conduits communicate in an annular series, and pumping means within the casing including a hollow rotary element and a pump delivery pipe leading to the interior of said element, said element having opposite ports successively communicating with conduits in the rotation of said element for the delivery of pump pressure successively to each.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a pump casing provided with an inlet and a pressure outlet, of a hollow gear disposed within the casing and connected to the pressure outlet and provided with opposite ports, and a plurality of conduits arranged to be consecutively registered with said ports for delivery of fluid from the gear to said'conduits.

4. In a fluid distributing system, the combination with a casing open at one side, of a gear rotatable in the casing and having its teeth exposed at said side, a pinion within the casing meshing elsewhere with said gear, said gear being hollow and provided with oppositely disposed pressure equalizing ports and a central inlet, a pressure conduit leading from the point of mesh of said gear and pinion to the central inlet of said gear, and pressure conduits communicating through said casing with the interior thereof and positioned to register successively with said ports to receive liquid under pressure therefrom during the rotation of said gear.

5. In a fluid distributing system the combination with a casing open at one side, of a gear rotatable in the casing and having its teeth exposed at said side, a pinion within the casing meshing elsewhere with said gear, said gear being hollow and provided with oppositely disposed pressure equalizing ports anda central inlet, a pressure conduit leading from'the point of mesh of said posed at said side, a. pinion within the casing meshing elsewhere with said gear, said gear being hollow and provided with oppositely disposed pressure equalizing ports and a central inlet, a

pressure conduit leading from the point of mesh of said gear and pinion to the central inlet of said gear and pressure conduits communicating through said casing with the interior thereof and positioned to register successively with said ports to receive liquid under pressure therefrom during the rotation of said gear, and means providing a reservoir in which the open side of said casing is immersed, together with means providing a duct leading from said reservoir to the point in said casing at which said gears unmesh.

7. A gear pump comprising a casing having an open side and an interior duct leading from said' open side about the interior of said casing, a gear rotatable in the casing and having its teeth exposed at the open side thereof and a pinion meshed with said gear substantially adjacent the terminal point of said du-ct, the opposite side of said casing being in substantial contact with .the

periphery of said gear from the open side of the casing to thepoint of mesh, in the direction.

of gear rotation.

8. In a fluid distributing system, the combination with a driving pinion, of a hollow gear provided with a tubular hub, a casing enclosing said gear, means for supplying fluid to said gear through said hub, and ports opening axially through opposite faces of the gear, said casing being provided with conduits with which said ports are registrable in the rotation of the gear.

9. In a fluid distributing system, the combination with a driving pinion, of a hollow gear provided with a tubular hub, a casing enclosing said gear, means for supplying fluid to said gear through said hub, and ports opening axially through opposite faces of the gear, said casing being provided with conduits with which said ports are registrable in the rotation of the gear, the dimensions of said ports and conduits being such as to provide overlapping communication between such ports and successive conduits.

10. In a fluid distributing system, the combination with a driving pinion, of a hollow gear provided with a tubular hub, a casing enclosing said I rotor fitted within said casing and provided with a tubular hub portion seated in one of said bearings, means co-acting with said casing and rotor to constitute a pump having an outlet and means for supplying fluid under pressure from said outlet through said hub to the interior of said rotor, said .casing having discharge ports and said rotor hav- 7 ing complementary ports registerablewith the rotor having ports 'of the casing successively in the rotation of the rotor.

12. In a fluid distributing system, the'combination with a casing having bearings, of a unitary, hollow rotor fitted within said casing and fixed to a. tubular hub portion seated for rotation in one of said bearings, and means for supplying fluid under pressure through said hub to the interior ofsaid rotor, said casing having discharge ports and said complementary ports registerable with the ports of the casing successively in the rotation of the rotor, the ports of the rotor being disposed in oppositefaces thereof, whereby substantially to maintain said rotor in lateral equilibrium to prevent excessive friction on the walls of the casing.

ripherally spaced discharge ports opposite at .least one of said faces, said rotor having in said faces ports communicating with its hollow interior, at least one of which is registerable in sequence with the discharge ports of the casing, means for supplying fluid under pressure to the interior of said rotor through one of the hubs thereof, and a pressure relief valve carried by said casing and exposed to pressure transmitted to the other hollow hub of said rotor.

14. In a pump, the combination with pump gears, of a casing open at the side of one of said ears to constitute an inlet and fitted to the periphery of said gear from the opening substantially to the point of mesh of said gears, and spaced from said one gear from .the point of mesh ,to the opening in the direction of gear rotation,

the said liquid level but above the level of the opening constituting a submerged moat surrounding the opening.

15. In a pump, the combination with meshing gears and means for rotating them ina predetermined direction of relative motion, of a casing provided with a delivery portadjacent the point of mesh of said gears and provided with an inlet opening exposing the teeth of one gear, the casing being substantially in bearing contact with the periphery of said one gear from said opening to said port, means for supplying liquid to said opening and means for relieving vacuum at the point pf gear unmesh.

16. In a device of the character described, the combination with a plurality of conduits, of a casing with which said conduits communicate in spaced relation one to another, and pumping means within the casing including a hollow rotary element and a pump delivery pipe leading to the interior of saidelement, said element having ports successively communicating with said conduits in the rotation of said element for the dedisposed tion of livery of pump pressure successively to each of the respective conduits.

1'7. In a device of the character described, the combination with a pump casing provided with an inlet and a pressure outlet, of a hollow gear within the casing and having its-hollow interior connected to said pressure outlet and provided with ports in its walls communicating withsaid hollow interior, and a plurality of conduits arranged to be consecutively registered with said ports for delivery of fluid from the .interior of the gear to said conduits.

18. In a fluid distributing system, the combination ,with a casing open at one side, of a gear rotatable in the casing and having its teeth exposed at said side, a pinion within the casing meshing elsewhere with said gear, said gear being hollow and provided with oppositely disposed pressure equalizing ports and a central inlet, a pressure conduit leading from the point of mesh of said gear and pinion to the;central inlet of said gear, and pressure conduits communicating .through the said casing with the interior thereof and positioned to register successively with said ports to receive liquid under pressure therefrom during the rotation of said gear, said casing com-.

prising a. sectional housing having two opposed, flat faces to sealingly contact the corresponding faces of the hollow gear.

19. In a/fluid distributing system, the combinahousing comprising a casinghaving a hollow rotor seated within said casing and fixed to a tubular hub seated for rotation in one .of said bearings, means for supplying fluid under pressure through said hub to the interior of said rotor, a series of discharge ports in said casing in spaced relation one to another, complementary discharge ports in said rotor sucbearings,

cessively registrable with the ports of the casing during the rotation of the rotor within said casing, and means for rotating said rotor whereby self. discharge ports and said complementary ports would be successively placed in registration in predetermined cycles.

20. In a liquid distributing system having a hollow driven gear dipping in liquid, means for taking liquid from a portion of the outer surface of said hollow gear comprising a pinion on a drive shaft and meshing with said gear to drive the same. a casing for said gear and pinion having an opening through which liquid may enter to encompass a portion of said hollow gear, a hollow hub for said hollow gear mounted for rotation in a bearing in the side-of said casing, ports opening outwardly from the interior of said hollow gear through the walls thereof, ports in the wall of said casing with which the ports in said hollow gear'are successively registrable upon rotation of said gear, and conduit means for conducting liquid taken from the surface of said hollow gear to and through the hollow hub into the interior of said hollow gear.

21. In a device of the character described, the combination with a plurality of conduits, of a casing with which said conduits communicate, pressure pumpingmeans within said casing for pumping fluid, port means within said pumping means for successively-registering with said conduits communicating with said casing for passing pump fluid under pressure from said pumping means to and through said conduits-in successive order, and means for operating said pump-' ing means.

ADOLPH J. mrnom. 

